The weather was so beautiful it made one want to shout. There wasn't a breath of wind, and the azure sky, as if washed clean, was cloudless. Sunlight streamed down unhindered, spreading a thick layer of warmth across the ground. His Majesty the Emperor's carriage moved through the sunlight, slowly entering the vast martial arts arena.
After entering the arena, it took another half hour to finally see the earthen city. The Emperor gave a low order from inside the carriage, which then came to a smooth stop. The head eunuch, Su Buwei, bowed and lifted the carriage curtain. The Emperor leaned out and greedily inhaled the fresh air outside the city, saying with a hearty laugh, "When we reach the arena, we won't take the carriage, we'll ride horses."
Su Buwei quickly beckoned, ordering someone to bring over the Emperor's mount. It was a pure white steed from the Northern Liao region, a gift presented to the Sui Emperor by the first envoy from Northern Liao to Chang'an. Upon acquiring this horse, the emperor immediately abandoned his original mount, a magnificent warhorse from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Although that horse was also a prized Akhal-Teke, its Mongol origins made it irreplaceable.
This warhorse, known as the Snow Kirin by the Northern Liao people, was incredibly wild, and it took the emperor a full half-month to tame it. Even though the emperor had been skilled in archery and horsemanship before his ascension to the throne, the process of taming the Snow Kirin still left him somewhat overwhelmed.
Dismounting and mounting the horse, the emperor roused himself.
The commander of the Imperial Guards, Luo Weiran, and his deputy, Hou Wenji, who also served as the garrison commander, followed closely behind. Behind them were hundreds of Imperial Guards clad in flying fish robes; the eunuchs and palace maids had to continue on foot, slowly making their way towards the viewing platform, trailing behind the warhorses and inhaling the dust.
After riding for several miles, the emperor felt his body, which had been wrinkled and tired over the past few days, stretch out.
Therefore, he was in high spirits.
Even before reaching the viewing platform, Prince Yi, leading a group including Zhou Banchuan, the Dean of the Martial Arts Academy, and Xu Xiaogong, the Right General of the Imperial Guard, hurried towards the Emperor. Upon seeing His Majesty the Emperor, Prince Yi was the first to kneel and proclaim, "Long live the Emperor!" Behind them, the professors of the Martial Arts Academy and the generals of the Right Imperial Guard knelt in unison.
The Emperor dismounted and helped Zhou Banchuan to his feet, saying, "Didn't I say that you, sir, are of high moral character and prestige, and therefore need not kneel before me?"
Zhou Banchuan winked at Prince Yi, Yang Yin, and said, "Your Highness, please kneel first. How dare we stand?"
"Get up, Sixth Prince. From now on, unless it's a formal occasion like court assemblies, you don't need to kneel to greet me. It's too troublesome."
The Emperor smiled and walked towards the viewing platform: "I planned to take a day off today, so I came to your martial arts arena to watch the competition between the top three. The top three young talents of the Great Sui Martial Arts Academy are all outstanding individuals. I hesitated for a long time yesterday but couldn't resist the temptation and came straight here after court."
"It hasn't started yet," Zhou Banchuan replied.
The Emperor walked along, saying, "Yesterday I heard there was no fighting, so I thought they were all waiting for nightfall to launch their attack. But since no news reached me this morning, I realized those three were probably waiting for someone else to make the first move. So I came... With me sitting on the viewing platform, how dare they wait any longer?"
As he spoke, the Emperor even had a hint of childlike smugness.
Zhou Banchuan, Prince Yi (Yang Yin), and the other two exchanged smiles, especially Prince Yi (Yang Yin), who smiled particularly happily. If His Majesty hadn't come in person, he probably would have waited in the martial arts arena for three whole days. In his own words, spending three days in the arena, he didn't know how many exciting performances he would have missed.
The Emperor seemed to be in high spirits, quickly ascending the viewing platform and sitting down in a chair in the center. He looked at Yang Yin and smiled, "The tea you have in your household is better than the palace's. Quickly bring some out, don't be stingy."
"How can my tea compare to Your Majesty's? I've been craving the Da Hong Pao tea that came as tribute from Jiangnan for so long. I can't sleep whenever I think about it..."
"I knew you wouldn't let yourself be taken advantage of!"
The Emperor rolled his eyes at him and said, "I'll drink your tea today. I'll have Su Buwei send you a pound of single-stem Da Hong Pao later."
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty."
Yang Yin clasped his hands and bowed, a hint of glee in his voice.
After the fragrant tea was served, the Emperor held it to his nose, smelled it, and couldn't help but praise, "I knew Sixth Prince had all the best stuff. This tea must be made from at least 14,000 lotus buds. One pot of this would be enough for a small family's expenses for a year."
"It was a gift from Wu Yidao."
Yang Yin quickly bowed his head and said.
The Emperor smiled and didn't continue the topic of tea. He pointed to the earthen city a few miles away and asked, "Send someone to urge them on. Tell them I want to see the result today. If there's no winner before nightfall, I'll send all three of them to Ning'an Tower for border defense. Even if Luo Yao, Yu Manlou, and Li Yuanshan come kneeling and begging, I won't take back my order."
The guards below dared not delay and quickly mounted their horses, galloping towards the earthen city.
The Emperor took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and turned to Zhou Banchuan, saying, "Old Zhou, Hou Wenji told me something interesting the other day, and I was truly delighted... Hongxiu Zhao has returned to Chang'an."
"Ah?"
Zhou Banchuan, who was squinting as he drank his tea, changed his expression and almost spat it out.
Xu Xiaogong, sitting at the farthest point, subconsciously glanced at Prince Yi, Yang Yin, before quickly averting his gaze. He knew His Majesty's temperament; he would never say or do something without reason. Every word His Majesty speaks to his ministers often carries a deeper meaning than its literal literal interpretation.
He subconsciously glanced at Yang Yin because he knew that His Majesty's words, "The Red Sleeves Summoning Chang'an," seemingly addressed to Zhou Banchuan, were actually meant for Prince Yi.
"Has Seventh Prince returned?"
Yang Yin immediately stood up, asking anxiously. The Emperor shook his head and said, "Ten and a half years have passed. I've sent people to search the entire Sui Dynasty, but there's not a trace of the Seventh Prince… However, it's good that the Hongxiuzhao dance troupe has returned; at least we can see a shadow of him. I've already instructed Hou Wenji to inform the officials below that now that Hongxiuzhao is back, it should operate honestly and steadily. Not a single copper coin should be shortchanged on taxes; this was the rule when the Seventh Prince was alive… However, the Chang'an Prefecture must not obstruct the issuance of permits and seals. If I find anyone engaging in any underhanded dealings, I will not let them off lightly."
These words sounded like they were directed at the Chang'an Prefecture government, but everyone present understood the underlying meaning.
Zhou Banchuan narrowed his eyes again, but his eyes were full of amusement.
Xu Xiaogong looked down at his toes, remaining silent.
Yang Yin shook his head with a wry smile, sighed, and bowed, saying, "I've made one mistake, but I won't make another."
...
...
A full half-hour had passed since the Emperor arrived at the martial arts arena, but there was still no movement from Tucheng. This displeased Prince Yi, Yang Yin. He glanced at Zhou Banchuan, who was sitting leisurely in his chair, seemingly lost in thought, and couldn't help but ask, "Old Zhou, do you think the fighting will still happen today?"
"Fight."
Zhou Banchuan opened his eyes and smiled, "His Majesty's decree has been issued. How dare those three little fellows disobey? They just haven't figured out how to fight yet, so it's alright... let's wait a little longer."
The Emperor smiled slightly, "If they rush to charge with their troops just because of my decree, then there's no point in watching today. A general's actions are for victory. If there's not even the slightest chance of victory, and they're only fighting to please me, they're useless, better off not using them."
Yang Yin didn't say anything more, sulking as he looked towards Tucheng. The Emperor said, "Sixth Prince, you're still the same, too impatient."
"Your Majesty, I've become much more composed," Yang Yin replied humbly.
"These past years, I've cultivated my character by raising flowers and birds. Let things settle down slowly."
"Hmm."
The Emperor hummed in agreement. "Cultivating one's character is something that can't be rushed. If you rush it, it's not cultivation, but rather continuing to cultivate a quick temper, making you more and more irritable."
Hearing this, Yang Yin's expression dimmed slightly.
Continue cultivating your character.
He smiled bitterly to himself, thinking, "Your Majesty, I've already decided to spend my life cultivating my character and staying out of politics. Why do you need to remind me again?" Just then, Xu Xiaogong suddenly handed the clairvoyant to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, there's movement over there."
The emperor took the clairvoyant and looked towards the earthen city, then couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh?" and chuckled, "How come all three of them are moving at once? Flags have been raised on the south, east, and west sides. Could it be that they're planning a simultaneous attack? If so, they've finally grasped some of the deeper meaning behind Elder Zhou's arrangement."
"It seems so."
Xu Xiaogong smiled, "Elder Zhou arranged it this way to let them know that sometimes, when faced with seemingly insurmountable problems, as long as they remember the word 'unity,' they can easily overcome them. The earthen city is garrisoned by two thousand soldiers, while each of them only has five hundred. If they take turns attacking, none of them can possibly take it down. Only if they think of uniting as one and working together to attack the city will they have a chance of victory."
"So..." "From the very beginning, Elder Zhou never intended to determine a clear first, second, or third place in this year's Martial Arts Academy competition. Instead, he wanted to use this competition to teach them principles that soldiers should understand."
The Emperor nodded and said, "Luo Wen, Yu Xiao, Li Fubo… Elder Zhou, who do you think first figured it out and then persuaded the other two?"
Zhou Banchuan thought for a moment and shook his head slightly. "Luo Wen is cold-hearted yet simple-minded, difficult. Yu Xiao is too cunning and prone to getting stuck in dead ends, also difficult. As for Li Fubo, he is the most composed but lacks agility, still difficult… I can't think of anyone. I originally thought that when the three-day deadline arrived, they wouldn't realize the deeper meaning behind my arrangement."
The Emperor said, "Whoever came up with it, I will directly appoint him as a fourth-rank general and send him to Li Yuanshan's Right Valiant Guard in the Northwest."
These words truly held profound meaning.
Of those present, apart from Prince Yi, Yang Yin, who was unaware of the Emperor's intention to launch a military campaign against the Northwest, Zhou Banchuan and Xu Xiaogong were aware of it. Sending one of them to the Northwest at this time shows how determined the Emperor is to promote promising new generals. If they seize this opportunity and achieve something in the Northwest, their future will be limitless.
"Huh?"
Xu Xiaogong suddenly exclaimed in surprise, pointing towards the opposite earthen city wall, "There seems to be a change."
"How come a force has suddenly appeared at the North City?"
"Brilliant!"
The Emperor was overjoyed, slapping his thigh and saying, "The south, east, and west are all feints, probably just a few dozen men with flags planted. Those three, however, have joined forces and circled around to the weakest point of the North City for a combined attack! Brilliant! My Great Sui Dynasty has such a capable general; truly worthy of celebration!"
But for some reason, Zhou Banchuan's eyes narrowed again, lost in thought.
...
...
Earthen City.
Watching the soldiers swarm up the North City wall, the three young talents from the Martial Arts Academy all wore smiles. At twenty-one, Yu Xiao, destined to inherit the title of Duke, pointed to the city wall and smiled, "Brother Shanwu, if you hadn't suddenly understood the Dean's intentions, the three of us would probably still be anxiously pacing around the map in the main tent."
Luo Wen smiled, "Brother Dingcheng, it was just luck."
He looked at Li Fubo and smiled, "I originally thought Brother Mouwen was the most likely among the three of us to win, and I had already prepared a congratulatory gift in private. It seems we'll have to save that money."
Li Fubo smiled and said, "Let's go into the city; we still have to meet the Emperor later."
"Please, both of you."
Luo Wen gestured for them to enter. Yu Xiao led the way into the city, followed by Li Fubo. After they had taken a few steps, Luo Wen turned back and whispered to his personal guards, "Go and kill that person, be clean... Don't let anyone know that the method of breaching the city wasn't my idea."
His guards nodded and turned to lead a dozen men back towards the main camp. Watching his personal guards depart, Luo Wen smiled coldly and muttered to himself, "What use is intelligence if someone like you can't keep up? Meeting me was your bad luck, but getting into my camp is my incredible luck."
He gazed at the earthen city gate, as if he saw a set of armor befitting a fourth-rank general. Suddenly, a gust of wind rose, and the newly erected Sui Dynasty battle flag fluttering atop the earthen city seemed like a beckoning hand of fate to him.